So What If I Love Her?
by KitKat-Pyrophobia
Summary: You know," Al pondered to Scorpius, "Rose seemed pretty tired this morning... Sleep deprivation, was it?" Scorpius, for the first time, actually choked on air. Rose/Scorpius oneshot


**Disclaimer: **I own nothing. Or else there would be a whole other book dedicated to Moony and Padfoot XP

**A/N:** Another R/S, because there are so many possible angles :D

Okay, on with the fic!

* * *

"You know, Scorpius, Rose seemed rather tired this morning," Albus said in a tone that dripped mischief, reclining on a squashy couch in the Heads' common room.

"Yes…" He was confused by what Al was saying. If he was saying it, it was bound to be something bad, or embarrassing.

"Sleep deprivation, was it?"

Scorpius, for the first time, actually choked on air.

Albus smiled so widely that it looked like his face was going to split in two.

"Albus Potter!" Scorpius's cheeks were becoming steadily pinker. Despite his name being Malfoy, Scorpius was a very shy, introverted person. He inherited his father's startlingly good looks, but his personality made it seem like he was adopted, or a cheap imitation of a Malfoy.

"So, it _wasn't_ sleep deprivation?"

"Merlin, no!"

"Oh, please. You say that like you don't _want_ it to be," Al rolled his eyes.

Scorpius didn't even know how to respond to that. He simply kept his eyes on his knees, which were pulled up to his chest beside Albus.

"Scorpius, I think it's about time we had a serious man-to-man," He scooted over, throwing his arm around his friend briefly.

The Malfoy groaned. Al's man-to-mans never turned out well.

"Come on, Scorpius, we're in Seventh Year. You're a _man_ now, and I know as well as you do that you've been holding out in the female department in hopes that she'll _finally_ notice you, but now you are in the _literal_ perfect place to make your move!" He gestured, slightly wildly, to the common room that the two alone shared.

"Al, no," Scorpius said firmly, but couldn't help a slideshow of pleasant mental images playing in his mind. Most of them included him, her, and the couch he was currently sitting on.

Knowing that if he pushed too hard he would get nowhere with the stubborn boy, Albus took a different approach: flattery. "You know," He pondered, "I can't say that I'm surprised that you and Rose are Heads together. I mean, you both got the best marks in class…" He smiled somewhat deviously at his surprisingly shy friend, "… plus she's bossy for the both of you."

"Bugger off, Al, I can be bossy when I want to be,"

"I know you can! But you also know how to be the adorable shy-guy that girls love so much." He paused, and went in for the kill with an overly tentative tone. "Girls like, say, my cousin?"

"Al… it won't happen." These words were almost physically _painful_ to say.

"Why not?" He whined, "You _know_ I'm right,"

"Well, you may be right about me being in a good position, plus Rose has never been into jerks, but that doesn't mean that she'll go for _me_… I mean, what if everything goes wrong, and we have to spend the rest of the year avoiding each other when we live together?" The worst case scenario swirled around Scorpius's mind.

"What if it doesn't? You'd be the happiest guy in school, if not the entire wizarding world!" Al was always melodramatic.

"Al…"

"Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy, get some confidence in yourself! You're disgracing the name of Malfoy!" With a good-natured chuckle, Al suddenly got serious again, "Listen, if I know her as well as I _know_ I do, she feels the same as you do!" He slapped his knee in finality.

"I just don't see it working as well as you think it will," Scorpius mumbled.

"Malfoy, you love her more than anyone I've ever seen. It will honestly _kill_ me inside if you don't _do_ something about her!"

"I, unlike _some_ people—" He raised an eyebrow at his best friend, who was rather… _enthusiastic_ when it came to the opposite sex, "—can control myself around her. So what if I love her?"

"Love who?" The very person they'd just been speaking of appeared at the entrance of the common room. She still looked tired, with dark circles around her usually-bright eyes. Still, she was the picture of beauty to Scorpius.

"No one," Scorpius said quickly, avoiding looking at her so he could continue breathing normally.

"Liar, you're lying," Albus said to Scorpius, who was now pink again, "He's lying," He cheerily smiled at Rose, who rubbed her eyes and walked over towards them.

"Who's the lucky girl, Scorpius?" She asked sleepily, sitting down beside him, pulling her legs up in the same fashion his were.

"No one; Albus is being stupid." He chanced a glance at her. _Merlin, she's beautiful…_

"Oh well," She yawned, and rested her head on Scorpius's shoulder, causing a shiver to run down his spine. His breath hitched again. "I was looking forward to seeing what type you'd be interested in,"

A sharp slap on the backside of his head from Al caused Scorpius to begin breathing again. He was still transfixed on the fact that her shiny red hair was sprawled out messily across his shoulder. It was very comfortable.

"You're rather asexual, you know that?" Rose closed her tired brown eyes.

"I am not," He countered, his tone light to match his feelings.

"How many girls have you dated here?"

"Four or five, I think?"

"Al, how many girls have you dated?" She asked the boy on the other side of Scorpius.

"Let me count…" He began jokingly ticking off his fingers. "… at least half of them?"

Rose laughed quietly. Scorpius felt light as air.

"My case rests," She sighed, and snuggled closer to Scorpius. "Are you sure _you_ aren't the one named after Sirius Black?"

"James was worse than me, from what he's told us," Al pointed out.

She just laughed again.

Scorpius couldn't help but stare until he got a tap on the shoulder from Albus. He shot the black-haired boy a sharp glare.

Albus only raised his eyebrows in a knowing way, and gestured to Rose, who was close to unconsciousness. Pantomiming, he stretched, conveniently pretending that someone was there for him to wrap his arm around. Again, he motioned to Rose.

Sending him an uneasy look that said "If-this-doesn't-work-I'm-going-to-murder-you", Scorpius raised a slightly tingling arm, and wrapped it warmly around Rose's shoulders.

With a sigh and a smile that caused his heart to stop, Rose moved even closer to Scorpius.

Scorpius smiled slightly happily at his friend, who punched the air in a very triumphant manner.

The bell rang all too soon.

* * *

"Hey, Malfoy!" A voice called amusedly from somewhere to Scorpius's left. The voice caused three things to happen at once: he smiled, he stopped breathing, and he got really confused. The person who owned that voice had _never_ called him "Malfoy"…

Before he had a chance to spot her, he felt a hand on his arm. Confused for an entirely different reason before and now slightly frustrated that something was distracting him from his Rose, he turned to the person touching him.

It was Arden Vane, one of the only girls in their year that had taken notice to Scorpius besides Rose. She was pretty, with long, sleek brown hair, pale blue eyes, and clear skin.

"Hello, Arden," Scorpius greeted politely.

She smiled what she thought was a million-dollar smile. That was her issue: she was very full of herself. "Hello, Scorpius,"

He waited patiently for the reason she was still touching him.

"It's a Hogsmeade weekend this Saturday," She said casually.

He nodded.

"And I was just wondering if you'd like to go with me," She flipped her hair. It shone in the sunlight streaming in through the high windows.

The idea of dating someone other than Rose was extremely off-putting. But, he was no pro at this like Albus, and didn't really know how to refuse a girl. Immediately, a prickly sort of feeling erupted on the back of his neck, and his hand shot up to rub it. "Well, Arden, er, I mean, it sounds fun and all, but—" He was suddenly silenced by a thin, manicured finger on his lips.

"You don't have to say anything." Arden's voice was suddenly lower, sultrier. She lowered her hand. "Just meet me at Madame Pudifoot's around noon, okay?" The corners of her mouth rose, making Scorpius feel even worse.

"I can't go with you," He blurted out.

She looked shocked and hurt. "But, why not?"

"I," He rubbed his neck harder. "I like someone else,"

Her expression darkened. She had never been turned down before. "It's just one date,"

"I know, but I can't. Sorry,"

"You never date _anyone_." She snapped, as if this was a deep flaw in him.

He, however, brightened. "It's only because I like her too much to want anyone else,"

She seemed surprised by this. Her expression suddenly softened, and she smiled kindly. "I hope you get her, then,"

Scorpius's smile widened. Arden was sweet. "Me too,"

Arden gave one last sad smile before walking away.

His heart beat faster as he thought about the fact that Rose was somewhere around him.

A flash of red hair brushing past him left him, for the third time, extremely confused.

* * *

"Where's Rose?" Albus asked as soon as Scorpius sat down to eat lunch.

"I don't know," His brow furrowed. If Albus didn't know where Rose was, it could be a real problem. "She was in the hallway earlier, before Transfiguration, but I haven't seen her since,"

"What happened in the hall?"

He racked his brains for anything that could've triggered her strange behavior. "Well, she called me from down the hall, and then Arden Vane asked me out, and then she just hurried past,"

"Hang on, what about Vane?" Al looked deep in concentration. He ran a hand through his messy black hair.

"She asked me to go to Hogsmeade with her,"

"What did you say?"

"I told her I liked someone else," Scorpius shrugged, not seeing how any of this was relevant.

"SCORPIUS, YOU DAFT GIT!" Al pounded his hand on the table.

Scorpius suddenly felt scared. "What?"

"You just got finished telling Rose that you didn't like anyone!"

His heart fell.

"And then you go and drape yourself over her during our free period!"

"That was _your_ idea!" He countered his friend's accusatory tone.

"But _you're_ the one who she thinks is using her!"

"Using her?" Scorpius asked, his voice sounding strangely hollow.

"Go. Find. Her." Albus's look was deadly serious.

Scorpius didn't even have to think before springing up from his seat and sprinting down the empty halls to the Head's common room. His mind was clouded with Al's accusations. He didn't want to hurt Rose. He wasn't using her.

He gasped the password, and burst in the room. With a quick once-over, he saw that she wasn't in there. He went to the door of her bedroom, and inhaled sharply before knocking quietly.

He heard a sniff, which caused his heart to break. "Yes?"

"Rose, it's Scorpius," He bit his lip. "I can't come in there, so can you come out?"

Another sniff. "Yeah, hang on just a second."

His heart beat painfully in the minute it took her to open the door.

With a slight creek, she opened it slowly. "Yes?"

His heart broke. She'd been crying. Her eyes were red, more swollen than earlier, and shiny with moisture. "What's wrong?" He asked softly, though he knew the reason.

"Nothing, I'm fine," Her jaw clenched.

"Liar," He wrapped his arms around her shoulders, bringing her close.

She squeezed him around the middle, and buried her face into his chest. If she listened hard enough, she could hear his heart beating a mile a minute.

"What's wrong?" Scorpius asked again, quietly.

Rose looked up, a deep, complex type of sadness in her eyes. She gently pushed a bit of his long, wavy platinum hair out his silver eyes. Her eyes flickered to his lips so quickly he wasn't sure he really saw it. Finally, she bit her lip, and whispered, "She's a lucky girl, whoever she is, Scorpius," Resting her head against his shoulder, she continued, "I just hope she can see that,"

He smiled softly, tightening his hold on her. "She does,"

"Tell me who it is,"

He stiffened.

"Please," She breathed.

"I—I can't," His heart was racing faster than ever because of the way she was looking into his eyes.

She bit her lip so hard that he was sure it hurt, before nodding and pulling away.

"I'm going to go talk to Professor Longbottom about our Herbology essay," Rose hastily made up an excuse, and began walking toward the door.

Squeezing his eyes together briefly, his heart pounding, sure that he was going to regret saying it, he said after her, "It's you!"

She whipped around, her heart stopping.

He continued, more quietly than before, "It's always been you,"

A grin spread across her face. A grin that took his breath away. "Then do something about it," She said simply.

A crooked smile spread on the shy Malfoy's mouth as his cheeks heated. "If you insist,"

He crossed the few meters between them faster than he thought was possible.

Everything felt surreal to each other. The way he pulled her close to him with the gentlest of touches; the way she wrapped her arms around his neck; the way he cradled her face in his strong hand; the way her gaze moved to his mouth so deliberately that he knew it really happened; the way he leaned forward; the way they were only a breath away…

"Scorpius, did you find her?" Albus's frantic voice broke through their little bubble.

Scorpius squeezed his eyes shut, as if in pain, and Rose groaned deep in her throat.

Taking in the scene in front of him, Albus quickly said, "Sorry, Scorpius!"

"Al, how do you even know the password?" Rose asked, sounding slightly disappointed at the same time she was amused.

He fidgeted around a little, avoiding the question. Scorpius _technically_ wasn't supposed to let anyone but Prefects into the dorm.

"Albus Severus Potter, if you don't leave, I swear I'm going to hex you," Scorpius was dangerously serious.

With a squeak that was actually comical, Al ran from the room, leaving the two alone once more.

Rose smiled up at him.

Scorpius smiled down at her.

They leaned in once more.

And this time, there were no interruptions.

* * *

**A/N: **Sorry it oozed fluff.

It seemed a little rushed to me, still… did it seem a little rushed to you?

I still liked Scorpius's characterization, even though I must say that I rather enjoy the jerk version… :D

Check out my other stories, including a closet-fluff fic, and one where SCorpius is a werewolf!

PLEASE_PLEASE__**PLEASE**_review, even if you just want to say "Scorpius seemed like a fag" or "Eh, cute" or "YOU'RE NEXT ON MY LIST".

Kthnxbai!

Kat

_KitKat Pyrophobia_


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